Government funded research programs are all over the place, the CDC, NASA and DARPA are the three biggest examples I can think of right now who have done vast amounts of research that has trickled to the private sector and expanded the economy of the country. Bigger/more profitable economy means more tax revenue for the government, less taxes you pay and higher wages you earn. Everyone wins if you spend money on pure research. This is proven time again in both History and every strategy game I've ever played.:-) The next time you use your microwave powered by a nuclear powerplant to heat your chicken sammich to 160 degrees so you don't catch the salmonella (sp?) that the CDC warned you about... question your opinion on the value of pure research. It does alot more for your quality of life than you apparently realize.
I hadn't considered that but that might be closer to the mark than the idea I had. They just recently snapped up Ageia and PhysX. I thought maybe they were working on some sort of hybridized CPU/GPU physics chip. Although if they were to put physics, ray trace/rasterizing and traditional polygon based graphics on a single "gpu" that would probably be worth owning during the transition to ray traced graphics... if there is one.
It's a bit dated at this point, but still an absolutely fascinating read. It explains String Theory in a manner easy (by 10 dimensional theoretical physics standards) to read format. It will give them an idea of what you can accomplish/learn/theorize with higher level math. He also has another book out I think the title was "The fabric of space" Author is Brian Greene. I could only put it down when my head started to hurt:-)
I'll reply to your last paragraph since that's really the meat of the conversation, point taken that the money involved in the "Microsoft Browser Download Center" wizard really would be pack-o-gum trivial.
I don't recall anyone having serious problems running Netscape if they chose to, I never had any problems when I tried it, although for me it was slower than a root canal with a hangover. Although that's perhaps a problem MS could've caused. I always thought that it was just inefficient coding.
I'm pickin up what you're puttin' down, and all of that makes sense. So essentially by adding to development cost you're not changing the end price of the product, you're changing your profit margin on said product. Essentially they make less money (however slight the shift is) and avoid trouble with the DOJ. That slight loss of profit, however, would inevitably affect consumers negatively at some point. Microsoft stock may take a slight dip, they may have to lay off a few employees. etc.
Getting back to the core of my question, how does forcing Microsoft to not package IE with windows benefit consumers? If the answer is it will stimulate competition, there's already competition. Mozilla, Opera, Firefox, Safari etc. are all healthy competitors to IE. I would surmise that most consumers when given a choice as in our thought example, would probably click Internet Explorer simply because it's familiar. Just as most consumers use Windows over Linux because it's familiar.
If the answer is it will benefit browsers competing with IE, while that may be true is that really in the spirit of anti-trust law? Microsoft does not have, nor have they ever had a monopoly. It's true they're a HUGE juggernaut, and a difficult organization to compete with... but they have competitors.
To sum up, kudos to companies like Mozilla who have found new ways to compete in an unfair environment, rather than pointing out the lack of fairness in the environment.:-) Capitalism at it's best.
Doesn't an additional development cost move the sweet spot though? I mean, I understand basic economics, but I'm not all that "into it." I would think any change in one parameter of your above equation would move the others.
BTW I didn't mean to offend, I'm just playing devil's advocate for MSFT.:-)
OK, I'll bite... who pays for the development of this wizard? The very short answer is Microsoft does, the somewhat longer answer is we do. Why make them develop additional software the cost of which is passed to the consumer, that's a bit counter productive in an anti-trust case isn't it?
I'd go with a Toshiba Tough book like this one http://www.bizrate.com/laptopcomputers/toshiba-toughbook-mdwd2-tablet-pc--pid619387597/compareprices.html Shop around I just grabbed the first link I could find. You might be able to pick up an older one on ebay on the cheap(ish) I remember back in the day when I was 3-4 playing with a Commodore Vic-20 which was pretty close to state of the art at the time. Toshiba Tough books are great, you can kick the thing down a flight of stairs and it will (probably) still work.:-)
Nope the modem doesn't show up as an audio device, I may have purchased a modem that doesn't support speakerphone. I checked with the mfg. website and that seems to confirm this.
I have however thanks to the help of fellow slashdotters found software that will work perfectly for my application. Now I just need a modem that works perfectly with said software.
(This is what I get for believing the guy at the store)
Good suggestion, I was already planning on setting up a VM so my work box would be isolated from everything else I do. Also the VPN client we're using breaks my filesharing network so I need to find a workaround for that.
As far as ethics are concerned I understand your point, but it's august in a tech support call center. Current call volume will be laughable. It will take me some time to get acclimated to my new call center home, but after that I'll be spending a considerable amount of time bored out of my mind.
Would you rather have your employees staring blankly at a computer screen, while their will to work slowly ebbs away? Or have them keeping their minds active with other tasks, ready to dive into their next call with ferver. There's a very very fine line between being a responsible employee who stays active during down time, and being a lazy SOB who doesn't accomplish anything. Trust when I say I'm the former.
Studies have been done (and posted on slashdot) indicating that if employees are allowed to use actual free time at work freely, they're quite a bit more productive when they have work to do. I have science on my side.
So no it's not a matter of trying to shrug off work, it's a matter of trying to keep blood flowing to my brain during what is arguably the least busy season in the industry.
a) If that's what I wanted, I already have one. Why would I not use the one I already have if that's what I wanted to do?
b) I don't need a physical switch to mute PC audio and mic input, that would be counter productive to what I'm trying to accomplish.
c) This is precisely what I'm trying to do via a software solution using my modem and soundcard. Thank you for paying attention. Software used to exist to do this, but it's horribly difficult to find these days.
d) I know how to use a mute button. kthx.
Here's a free clue for you: I'm not using a VOIP setup. I indicated in my original post that VOIP is not at all even remotely close to what I intend/need to use. The point is there is going to be a delay between when the customer can hear everything that's going on, and when I'll be able to get to the pause button. I want to eliminate that gap by having everything routed through one headset, so I don't want to use speakers at all.
I have a really nice logitec keyboard with a mute button. If simply having a button to mute were the problem, I'd look down at my keyboard and hit the button.
Don't attack me personally because you don't understand what I'm trying to accomplish or why, just ask questions. I'm a nice guy, I answer them. Don't try to feel better about the fact that you don't understand by trying to make me out to be an idiot, you'll find yourself fighting a losing battle with a superior opponent.
One more time, here's what I'm looking for in very easy to understand terms. I'm looking for a piece of software, which will allow the voice modem in my computer to talk to my sound card, such that I can dial out and answer calls on my land line telephone using nothing but my PC and headset. I would imagine this should be a very small simple program, but unfortunately one that very very few have an application for. Thus it's hard to find, or I'm just blind. Either way I came here asking for help with a problem, not to be told the problem doesn't exist.
Good catch, something I forgot to post. Due to limitations of other tools I use for work, I'll be using XP Pro. (and I don't like linux as an end user environment anyway, but that's tertiary to the point)
I'm not a telemarketer! I'm taking all INBOUND calls.:-) I will not be calling you at home to send you the George Forman waffle fryer completely free with your purchase!
Yeah I have a feeling I'm searching in vain, nobody really does what I'm trying to do anymore. It's really kindof retro but it's a great solution for what I'm trying to accomplish. Cheers!
I'm not starting a company. They aren't my customers. It's a JOB not an adventure.:-) Why would I want to spend MY money on something that should be (and is) being provided by my employer. They're sending me a really nice $80 phone I don't want to use.
I've tried Asterisk at your suggestion, it's way way way more complicated than I need. I installed it, clicked through menus for 2 minutes, and uninstalled it. No use whatsoever. Express talk is for VOIP it's asking me for server information and a bunch of other crap I shouldn't need. I want a program that opens up, detects my modem, has a purty picture of a phone, and lets me make/answer calls to my landline using a standard PC headset. That's it.:-) Thank you for your suggestions though, they are things I've looked at.
Slashdot Mirror
Government funded research programs are all over the place, the CDC, NASA and DARPA are the three biggest examples I can think of right now who have done vast amounts of research that has trickled to the private sector and expanded the economy of the country. Bigger/more profitable economy means more tax revenue for the government, less taxes you pay and higher wages you earn. Everyone wins if you spend money on pure research. This is proven time again in both History and every strategy game I've ever played. :-) The next time you use your microwave powered by a nuclear powerplant to heat your chicken sammich to 160 degrees so you don't catch the salmonella (sp?) that the CDC warned you about... question your opinion on the value of pure research. It does alot more for your quality of life than you apparently realize.
Dammit! I'm a doctor not an automatic oiler!
Sometimes when you reinvent the wheel you get tank treads. I would surmise they're not strictly building a processor.
I hadn't considered that but that might be closer to the mark than the idea I had. They just recently snapped up Ageia and PhysX. I thought maybe they were working on some sort of hybridized CPU/GPU physics chip. Although if they were to put physics, ray trace/rasterizing and traditional polygon based graphics on a single "gpu" that would probably be worth owning during the transition to ray traced graphics... if there is one.
It's a bit dated at this point, but still an absolutely fascinating read. It explains String Theory in a manner easy (by 10 dimensional theoretical physics standards) to read format. It will give them an idea of what you can accomplish/learn/theorize with higher level math. He also has another book out I think the title was "The fabric of space" Author is Brian Greene. I could only put it down when my head started to hurt :-)
Hahahaha someone mod this up funny. (I don't have the Karma, I'm an evil bastard)
I'll take your word for it. I am, afterall playing devil's advocate for the devil himself. :-D
I'll reply to your last paragraph since that's really the meat of the conversation, point taken that the money involved in the "Microsoft Browser Download Center" wizard really would be pack-o-gum trivial. I don't recall anyone having serious problems running Netscape if they chose to, I never had any problems when I tried it, although for me it was slower than a root canal with a hangover. Although that's perhaps a problem MS could've caused. I always thought that it was just inefficient coding.
I'm pickin up what you're puttin' down, and all of that makes sense. So essentially by adding to development cost you're not changing the end price of the product, you're changing your profit margin on said product. Essentially they make less money (however slight the shift is) and avoid trouble with the DOJ. That slight loss of profit, however, would inevitably affect consumers negatively at some point. Microsoft stock may take a slight dip, they may have to lay off a few employees. etc. Getting back to the core of my question, how does forcing Microsoft to not package IE with windows benefit consumers? If the answer is it will stimulate competition, there's already competition. Mozilla, Opera, Firefox, Safari etc. are all healthy competitors to IE. I would surmise that most consumers when given a choice as in our thought example, would probably click Internet Explorer simply because it's familiar. Just as most consumers use Windows over Linux because it's familiar. If the answer is it will benefit browsers competing with IE, while that may be true is that really in the spirit of anti-trust law? Microsoft does not have, nor have they ever had a monopoly. It's true they're a HUGE juggernaut, and a difficult organization to compete with... but they have competitors. To sum up, kudos to companies like Mozilla who have found new ways to compete in an unfair environment, rather than pointing out the lack of fairness in the environment. :-) Capitalism at it's best.
Doesn't an additional development cost move the sweet spot though? I mean, I understand basic economics, but I'm not all that "into it." I would think any change in one parameter of your above equation would move the others. BTW I didn't mean to offend, I'm just playing devil's advocate for MSFT. :-)
The sarcasm! It is lost on you. :-D
OK, I'll bite... who pays for the development of this wizard? The very short answer is Microsoft does, the somewhat longer answer is we do. Why make them develop additional software the cost of which is passed to the consumer, that's a bit counter productive in an anti-trust case isn't it?
what am I going to use to download firefox? Do they really expect end users to learn to use FTP? I'm not sure the DOJ has thought this through.
I'd go with a Toshiba Tough book like this one http://www.bizrate.com/laptopcomputers/toshiba-toughbook-mdwd2-tablet-pc--pid619387597/compareprices.html Shop around I just grabbed the first link I could find. You might be able to pick up an older one on ebay on the cheap(ish) I remember back in the day when I was 3-4 playing with a Commodore Vic-20 which was pretty close to state of the art at the time. Toshiba Tough books are great, you can kick the thing down a flight of stairs and it will (probably) still work. :-)
Sweet! Now I have a new excuse for being pudgy AND taking that last donut!
Nope the modem doesn't show up as an audio device, I may have purchased a modem that doesn't support speakerphone. I checked with the mfg. website and that seems to confirm this. I have however thanks to the help of fellow slashdotters found software that will work perfectly for my application. Now I just need a modem that works perfectly with said software. (This is what I get for believing the guy at the store)
Good suggestion, I was already planning on setting up a VM so my work box would be isolated from everything else I do. Also the VPN client we're using breaks my filesharing network so I need to find a workaround for that. As far as ethics are concerned I understand your point, but it's august in a tech support call center. Current call volume will be laughable. It will take me some time to get acclimated to my new call center home, but after that I'll be spending a considerable amount of time bored out of my mind. Would you rather have your employees staring blankly at a computer screen, while their will to work slowly ebbs away? Or have them keeping their minds active with other tasks, ready to dive into their next call with ferver. There's a very very fine line between being a responsible employee who stays active during down time, and being a lazy SOB who doesn't accomplish anything. Trust when I say I'm the former. Studies have been done (and posted on slashdot) indicating that if employees are allowed to use actual free time at work freely, they're quite a bit more productive when they have work to do. I have science on my side. So no it's not a matter of trying to shrug off work, it's a matter of trying to keep blood flowing to my brain during what is arguably the least busy season in the industry.
Which is precisely why I quit that job lol
a) If that's what I wanted, I already have one. Why would I not use the one I already have if that's what I wanted to do? b) I don't need a physical switch to mute PC audio and mic input, that would be counter productive to what I'm trying to accomplish. c) This is precisely what I'm trying to do via a software solution using my modem and soundcard. Thank you for paying attention. Software used to exist to do this, but it's horribly difficult to find these days. d) I know how to use a mute button. kthx. Here's a free clue for you: I'm not using a VOIP setup. I indicated in my original post that VOIP is not at all even remotely close to what I intend/need to use. The point is there is going to be a delay between when the customer can hear everything that's going on, and when I'll be able to get to the pause button. I want to eliminate that gap by having everything routed through one headset, so I don't want to use speakers at all. I have a really nice logitec keyboard with a mute button. If simply having a button to mute were the problem, I'd look down at my keyboard and hit the button. Don't attack me personally because you don't understand what I'm trying to accomplish or why, just ask questions. I'm a nice guy, I answer them. Don't try to feel better about the fact that you don't understand by trying to make me out to be an idiot, you'll find yourself fighting a losing battle with a superior opponent. One more time, here's what I'm looking for in very easy to understand terms. I'm looking for a piece of software, which will allow the voice modem in my computer to talk to my sound card, such that I can dial out and answer calls on my land line telephone using nothing but my PC and headset. I would imagine this should be a very small simple program, but unfortunately one that very very few have an application for. Thus it's hard to find, or I'm just blind. Either way I came here asking for help with a problem, not to be told the problem doesn't exist.
Good catch, something I forgot to post. Due to limitations of other tools I use for work, I'll be using XP Pro. (and I don't like linux as an end user environment anyway, but that's tertiary to the point)
I'm not a telemarketer! I'm taking all INBOUND calls. :-) I will not be calling you at home to send you the George Forman waffle fryer completely free with your purchase!
Yeah I have a feeling I'm searching in vain, nobody really does what I'm trying to do anymore. It's really kindof retro but it's a great solution for what I'm trying to accomplish. Cheers!
I'm not starting a company. They aren't my customers. It's a JOB not an adventure. :-) Why would I want to spend MY money on something that should be (and is) being provided by my employer. They're sending me a really nice $80 phone I don't want to use.
With my luck some old bag would call for help with support for her printer mid-wank. No, not what I'm planning. :-) Thanks for your advice though.
I've tried Asterisk at your suggestion, it's way way way more complicated than I need. I installed it, clicked through menus for 2 minutes, and uninstalled it. No use whatsoever. Express talk is for VOIP it's asking me for server information and a bunch of other crap I shouldn't need. I want a program that opens up, detects my modem, has a purty picture of a phone, and lets me make/answer calls to my landline using a standard PC headset. That's it. :-) Thank you for your suggestions though, they are things I've looked at.